1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a filling apparatus, particularly an apparatus for filling a finely powdered material into a long and narrow cavity or hole having a relatively small opening.
2. Description of Prior Art
It is desirable to administer a pharmacologically active material in a finely powdered form to a patient. For example, anti-ashma and other drugs have been administered via oral inhalation type dispensing devices. One problem with administering finely powdered materials is that it is often necessary to accurately and repeatably fill long and narrow cavities or holes that comprise the dispensing apparatus with a measured unit dosage amount of the material.
In this regard, recently, an apparatus and method for dispensing a finely powdered solid antibiotic therapeutic agent into the periodontal pocket of a patient suffering from periodontal disease has been developed (U.S. Ser. Nos. 054,372, 288,739, 289,076 and Ser. No. 593,125. The apparatus includes a narrow tip portion sufficiently small to fit into the periodontal pocket. The powdered therapeutic agent is disposed within a narrow bore located in the tip and dispensed from the tip into the periodontal pocket.
Filling the narrow bore of the periodontal dispensing apparatus with the proper amount of the powdered therapeutic agent has proved to be a difficult task due to the small opening through which the agent must enter and the relatively long and narrow hole which must be filled. In addition, due to the fact that a standard dosage of the therapeutic agent must be delivered to the periodontal pocket, the dispensing apparatus must be filled in a precise and repeatable manner.
One known way of filling a cylinder such as a cartridge with a powdered material such as gun powder involves placing the gun powder in a funnel and allowing gravity to feed it through the funnel stem into the cartridge. This method would not be useful to fill the periodontal dispensing apparatus described above because the hole to be filled is too narrow to allow particles to flow through by gravity feed. In addition, the therapeutic agent is hydroscopic and does not flow evenly.
Another way to fill a long and narrow hole such as the bore in the periodontal dispensing apparatus includes gathering a mound of the powder, and tamping the bore repeatedly into the mound, until the desired weight of medication has been added to the weight of the dispenser. This method, however, is extremely time consuming and inaccurate.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus capable of filling a long and narrow cavity or hole having a relatively small opening with a finely powdered material. It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus capable of accurately filling a long and narrow hole or cavity of an apparatus for dispensing such material with a unit dosage amount of a pharmacologically active powdered material.